3 OUC workers hurt by electrical explosion at downtown Orlando substation

ORLANDO, Fla. - An electrical explosion at an OUC substation in downtown Orlando on Thursday morning sent three of OUC's employees to the hospital, a spokesperson for the Orlando Utilities Commission confirmed to FOX 35 Orlando.

One employee has been released from the hospital, while two other employees remain at the hospital for treatment, OUC said.

OUC: ‘Arc flash’ injured workers at Orlando substation

What we know:

The Orlando Fire Department responded to the OUC substation near West Robinson Street and Garland Avenue around 9 a.m. Thursday. More than a dozen units responded and transported three people to the hospital, including one person as a trauma alert.

OUC said in an updated statement that an "arc flash" occurred at its electrical substation.

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What is an arc flash?

"An arc flash is the light and heat produced as part of an arc fault (sometimes referred to as an electrical flashover), a type of electrical discharge that results from a connection through air to ground or another voltage phase in an electrical system," OUC said in a statement.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website, the energy from an electric arc can be hotter than 35,000 degrees, which is nearly four times hotter than the surface of the sun. 

"The energy released in the arc rapidly heats and vaporizes the metal conducting the electricity, producing an explosive arc blast resulting in deafening noises, supersonic concussive forces, and super-heated shrapnel."

OSHA said most burn injuries from arc flashes are due to someone's clothing catching on fire, not the electric flash itself.

"Our thoughts are with these employees and their families, as we remained committed to supporting them throughout this difficult time," OUC said in an updated statement.

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